Magnetic apparatus for railways.



A. H. FOX.

MAGNETIC APPARATUS FOR RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.2. 1914 1,162fi68 Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

WWW/goes: 5] vwe nioz PATENT OFFICE.

AUSTEN H. FOX, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MAGNETIC APPARATUS FOR RAILWAYS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 3Q, 1915.

Original application filed March 6, 1909, Serial No. 481,780. Dividedand this application filed March 2, 1914. Serial No. 821,890.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUs'rnN H. Fox, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in MagneticApparatus for Railways, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for giving an indication on a railwayvehicle by means of a pre-arranged condition of the roadway, and itrelates more particularly to apparatus of this kind in which the runningrail acts between control points as an armature for a magnet carried bythe vehicle, there being suitabierneans provided at such control'pointsfor differentiating the magnetic action and releasing the vehiclemagnet.

This application is a division of the application for my Patent No.1,088,814, dated March 3, 1914, which was a continuation of a priorapplication, Serial No. 423,139, filed March 25, 1908, wherein thepreferred means for differentiating the normal magnetic running railconsisted in locating non-magnetic sections at the control points, andwhen said control points were to be differentiated at will, in providinga magnetic by-pass bar which when operatively positioned alongside ofthe non-magnetic rail section, would counteract the effect thereof andhold the car magnet attracted.

Such a combination involves the use of moving parts in the roadway, andit is the principal object of my present invention to avoid the use ofsuch moving parts. This I accomplish by employing an electromagnet inthe roadway adjacent to or associated with the running rail. and itsconnections may be so arranged as to accomplish additional objects aswill appear. 7

1n the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a diagrammaticsectional view showing a portion of a railway and vehicle provided withmy improvements. Fig. 2 represents a transverse section including adiagram of the track-magnet controlling circuit.

1O, 10 are the running rails, 13 is the vehicle, and 14 is anelectromagnet on said vehicle, which may be termed a detector since itscondition of attraction or otherwise with respect to the running railrepresents The said magnet the prearranged condition of the running railat control points. For convenience T hale shown this magnet on the bodyof the vehicle, although its preferred position would be on the truck.This magnet is constantly energized by a circuit including wires 15, 16,17 and a battery 18. 19 is a switch for interrupting said circuit whendesired. Preferably this magnet has two spools located in a planetransverseto the line of the running rail, and 20 are its pole pieces.21 is a spring sufficiently strong to elevate said magnet when thelatter comes over a control point where the magnet ceases to beattracted, and 22, 23 are the contacts of a switch controlled by thestem which carries the magnet, and adapted to be closed by the elevationand opened by the depression of the magnet; the said switch beinglocated in a circuit including the wire 17, battery 18, wire 24, and asuitable device which I have represented as a bell 25 for giving anindication as to the position of magnet 14. Any of the well-knowndevices may be employed, such as audible or visible signals, air-brakecontrol, etc., the functions of all of which are comprehended under theexpression giving an indication.

In Fig. 2 I have represented a section of one of the running rails 10and a section of another rail 30 mounted alongside thereof, asconstituting the pole pieces of a track magnet 31 located under therespective pole pieces 20 of the car magnet 14. The circuit of the trackmagnet includes a battery 32 and a pole-changer 33 whereby its polepieces may be made of the same polarity as those of the car magnet, orof opposite polarity.

Fig. 1 represents the attracted condition of the car magnet 14 when itis over the normal rail 10 between control points. When it comes over atrack magnet 31, as shown in Fig. 2.if the polarity of the latter isopposite to that of the car magnet said car magnet will be heldattracted and no indication will be given on the vehicle. This is theclear or safe conditon of the roadway. If the polarity of the trackmagnet has, by a shifting of the pole-changer 33. been made the same asthat of the car magnet, the latter will be repelled and an indicationwill he givenon the vehicle by the ringing of the 1 of the roadway. Themagnet 14 is preferably self-restoring so that when it again comes overthe normal rail it will be attracted downwardly thereby andautomatically open the circuit of the bell 25.

Various changes from the above arrangement may be made without departingfrom the spirit of my invention.

I claim,

I l. The combination of a railway having a magnetic running rail, avehicle thereon having a magnet adapted to be attracted by said railbetween control points, and atrack magnet at the control point adaptedto influence said vehicle magnet.

2. The combinationof a railway having a magnetic running rail, a trackmagnet, one of the poles of which is composed of a section of said rail,the other being positioned alongside of the same, and a vehicle on saidrailway having a magnet provided with correspondingly positioned pole'pieces, and adapted to be influenced by said track magnet.

3. The combination of a railway having a magnetic running rail, avehicle thereon having a magnet adapted to be attracted by said rail, atrack magnet associated with said rail and adapted to attract or repelthe vehicle magnet, and a pole-changer in the circuit of said trackmagnet.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the resence oftwosubscribing witnesses, this 2 7 th day of February, 1914.

' AUSTEN H. FOX.- Witnesses:

R; M. PIERSON, EDWARD E. BLACK.

